


Not if I can help it

by chlolou1208



Category: Emmerdale, vanity - Fandom
Genre: Emmerdale - Freeform, F/F, Family Fluff, Vanity, soft charity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:20:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23402140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlolou1208/pseuds/chlolou1208
Summary: Basically just a one shot that sprung into my head after tonight’s episode. Vanessa returning home from the hospital-also Moses and Johnny are in this too, wish they were in the episode but oh well, the ‘ily’ made up for it. Well done emmerdale :)
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Comments: 3
Kudos: 73





	Not if I can help it

“Hiya!”

She hears Tracy’s voice first when she walks through the front door, arm hooked in with charity wanting to support more than half her weight. She’d barely lost contact with her since leaving the hospital, always holding a hand or wrapping an arm around a waist, gently minding the stitches left over from the operation.

“Hey” Vanessa manages, her voice a little breathless yet smile wide as she see’s Noah turn off the hoover he’d been pushing. He looks up and smiles as he hears her voice, Sarah too as she throws a wet cloth down on the spotless kitchen table.

“Have I entered a parallel universe or something here?” Vanessa laughs a little, taking her coat off with Charity’s hands guiding the green jacket off of her shoulders. “Mum’s makin’ us clean everything, I left my shoes out earlier and she had a right go, says you might trip over them or summer” Noah says rolling his eyes as he makes his way into the kitchen, she watches him take out two mugs and fill them with a tea bag and hot water.

“I didn’t have a go!” Charity says hanging Vanessa’s coat up.

“She deffo did, I was waiting in the car before school and I heard her shrieking like a mad woman” Sarah says, grin on her face as she tests how far she can push it with her gran, who’s wearing a smile with her eyes fixated on the smaller blonde, she’d not smiled this much since Vanessa had been away in hospital. Tracy pipes up then, “And she’s been cleaning all morning V, you’ve got yourself a right little Cinderella here”, her and the kids laugh but Vanessa pecks Charity’s pouting lips and hugs her sideways.

“Stop it you lot, anyway if she were Cinderella then I’d definitely be trying it on before midnight” she says with a wink that makes Noah turn as red as the bottle of ketchup Charity insists goes in the fridge-Vanessa had argued with her about the placement of the condiment for days after the first few nights after she’d moved into the pub, often placing it back in the cupboard where it _belongs_ -and Sarah just turns away, shaking her head as she takes out her phone. Charity gasps and kisses her cheek which makes Tracy sigh and make her excuses to go have lunch with Nate, or whatever she mumbled quickly before leaving.

“Right kids you best get going an all, and don’t forget your picking your brothers up from Rhona’s on the way back” Charity says, aiming the last part at Noah while going to fetch her purse. “And here’s a fiver, bribe them with some sweets or summat if they kick off about wanting to spend more time with Leo” she says handing him the money and tapping his shoulder as she walks past.

“Charming, we come home to make it all nice for Vanessa and now you kick us out” Sarah says grabbing her coat and bag anyway.

Vanessa laughs and gives her a hug as she heads for the door. “See you after school” She says to both kids as they head back for the bus, that they’d probably already missed but charity sends them with a note she’d written this morning just incase.

Charity waves goodbye to the kids and goes to fetch the tea Noah had made for them, she notices that he’d made one a lot weaker than the other and smiles slightly.

“I’m just gonna go put by bag upstairs and then I’ll be down ok? Maybe we could watch a film?” Vanessa says moving slowly towards the stairs.

Charity nods, “careful” she smiles and watches Vanessa as she slowly ascends the stairs, she notices her wince and begins to wish she was strong enough to carry her up there herself, to be honest though she probably was. _Vanessa’s tiny anyways_ she thinks to herself with a laugh almost escaping.

She stirs the drinks and dumps the spoon in the sink, the metal clattering as she does.

* * *

She feels a warm hand on her shoulder when she slowly awakens, her eyes blurry as she blinks them into focus. She notices the room is a lot darker than before she’s closed her eyes, of what she wrongly thought to have been for only a few winks.

“Did I fall asleep? Why didn’t you wake me?” Vanessa says, noticing a blanket had been placed and wrapped around her bottom half, her heart welling up a little.

“Well the little snores tell me that you were asleep, and I didn’t wake ya because you definitely needed it babe, anyway you’ve seen ‘Bridesmaids’ loads of times haven’t ya”

Vanessa pouts a little but nods her head. “I suppose…”

Charity comes around the sofa and places a glass and Vanessa’s tablets beside it, “take them and I’ll make you summat to eat shall I? The kids’ll be home soon”

Vanessa swallows down the first tablet and speaks before taking the next, “Not for me tar, I’m not hungry” She gulps down the second pill and finishes the glass of water.

“You’ve gotta eat summat though to keep ya strength up, how bout this soup? I made it specially, followed a recipe and everything so it should be alright” Charity doesn’t wait for her to answer as she empties some of the gloopy, thick looking liquid into a bowl, turning her lip up as she does, Vanessa watches with a smirk. Charity spoons a tiny bit into her mouth and chews for a little bit, Vanessa cocks her head as if anticipating her reaction and has to hold her chuckle when Charity runs straight for the bit and spits the soup-if you can even call it that-out.

  
“That’s absolutely rank, I’ll have to work on it but-“

She looks up and sees Vanessa looking at her with tears in her eyes, her heart drops as she rushes to her side.

“What’s wring did I say something-“

Vanessa shakes her head as tears pour out of her glistening yes, “No you didn’t, you’re just amazing”

Charity shrugs, “I’ve been told”.

Vanessa grabs her hands, “No really, you are, I mean…Charity Dingle learning how to make soup just cos her sick fiancé can’t stomach anything else-“

Charity nods, “I’d do anything for you”

“I know…” Vanessa tucks a strand of hair behind charity’s ear.

“I love you…” Vanessa whispers, her tears haven’t yet stopped and Charity leans forward to swipe her thumb at her cheeks, catching the droplets as the slowly start to stop falling.

“I love you too…come here” Charity says pulling Vanessa into a hug, she feels Vanessa sigh contentedly into her shoulder. They stay like that for a few minutes, hearts beating in time and breathing almost as one. Charity hopes she isn’t squeezing Vanessa too hard, but she holds on tightly to her fiancé, as if they were drowning and hugging her close was the only way to keep her afloat. She feels Vanessa rub small circles on her back and her shuddering breath on the back of her neck.

* * *

“MUMMY!”

Charity and Vanessa pull apart to clasp eyes upon the two younger boys plodding towards Vanessa and waving their arms at her. Noah and Sarah come in shortly after, apologising for their hyper behaviour, turns out a lot of fizzy cola bottles were used to pry Johnny and Moses away from the _cool_ Lego at Leo’s house. The Lego seemed all forgotten though as Vanessa helps them up onto the sofa and the boys clamber all over her, Charity warns them to be gentle and Vanessa assures her they are being. She wraps her arm round both boys, Johnny is leaning into her side and Moses has wrapped his arms around her neck, almost like a headlock and he’s kissing her face repeatedly as he laughs.

“Ooo I’ve missed you boys, have you been good for mummy Charity ey?”

“Yeah” Johnny nods and Vanessa kisses his head.

“Can you not go away again though mummy” Moses says as he plops himself on the sofa beside her, his hands wrapping around one of hers.

Charity looks up and feels tears form in her eyes, so does Vanessa. She bites her lip and tilts her head. The room feels suddenly hot and heavy, Sarah and Noah must feel it too as they meet Charity eyes and frown at Moses’ question. Before Charity can say something to change the subject Vanessa speaks.

“I won’t love, not if I can help it” Vanessa says as she kisses his head and he leans his head on her chest, embracing her again.


End file.
